Electric regulation



April 7, 1942. J. L. CREVELING ELECTRIC REGULATION Filed may 6, 1938 0 T N E w r \K m o In HMN m x \\O O H mm ages are substantially 1918, and particularly will operate both devices without Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STATES v PATENT, OFFICE 2,278,770 ELECTRIC REGULATION v John L. Creveling, near Tucson. Aris. Application May 6, 1938, Serial No. 206,463

16 Claims. (01. 111-314) I even zero. However, if the current and voltage My invention pertains to that class of electric regulation wherein adynamo or generator is to be regulated automatically in a predetermined manner throughout awidevariety of changeable conditions, and also comprehends means whereby it will be-automatically'connected with and disconnected from its work under certain predetermined conditions.

' As my invention is particularly applicable to an electric system wherein a dynamo driven intermittently and at widely varying Speeds is employed to charge a storage battery and operate lamps or other translating devices which are supplied by the battery when the generator speed and consequent voltage, are below the values necessary to supply current to the load, it will be described with respect to such a system.

' Obviously, such systems are useful especially in lighting and air-conditioning railway cars by means of current derived from a generator driven from a car axle, and in supplying current to the many ,electrical devices upon a modern automobile by means of a generator driven from the engine or motor thereof.

In this country it has become, for many years, almost universal practice, in such systems employed upon-railway cars, to use-an automatic switch or so-called reverse current relay to connect the generator and battery when their'voitdisconnect the generator from the battery when the generator voltage falls very slightly below that of the battery so as to prevent back disgenerator.

charge from the battery through the and automatically to control the generator substantially independently with respect to current and voltage limits in the manner set forth and covered in my Patent No. 1,251,479, of Jan. 1. as illustrated in Fig. II thereof. Such regulators together with. aseparate automatic switch are relatively expensive, and my present invention has for one of its objectsthe combining of the switch and regulator into a unitary structure so that the same coils the loss of the substantially independent current and voltage regulating features. With such regulators, even if the battery voltage be below normal, as when quite discharged, the generator cannot be over-. loaded and the storage battery is charged at substantially full generator output until approaching acharged state when its voltage rises as the charge proceeds andcauses the charging current tofali oil and approach a very small value or representation of one type of .vide a regulator will here be described with equal so that the'generator b can then supply current to the system, and to regulating features are entirely independent, so that the maximum voltage delivered by the generator remains absolutely constant after this value causes the current to begin to taper off, this fall in current is very gradual although it is now desirable to terminate the charge.

It is a further object of my invention to prowhich may be caused so to vary the standard of p the voltage regulation that, when the voltage of the battery rises and causes the current to fall oil, the voltage standard will be automatically lowered slightly so as to hasten the termination of the charge.

Another objectof my invention is to provide a regulator which may be arranged to cause the voltage standard to increase very slightly with the load until the maximum desired current is reached,- so as to compensate forline drop if desired.

Another object of my invention is to so combine the switch and regulator that the entire device can be made so small and cheaply that it can be used upon automobiles where the present day refinements require the advantages which flow from the substantially independent current and voltage regulation. And,'as thisis-the most imat the present time, my invention particular reference to such an embodiment.

In the drawing,

Fig. I is a side elevation and tie structure comp hending my invention.

Fig. 11 is an end shown in Fig. I, omitting the diagrammatic portion thereof.

.misafragmentaryvieworthepart 1 of Fig. IV is a fragmentary may be made therein. Fig. V is a'fragmentary view illustrating a modiflcation-that may be made in the structure of Figs. I and II.

Referring particularly to Figs. I and II, I represents a base of insulating material upon which is mounted a member 2, of iron or other magnetic I material, serving as a pole piecefor the iron core 3, having the approximately central pole piece 4 elevation of the structure 1' view of the part 3| of Figs. I and 11, indicating modifications that passes through a slot in the member iii tends to swing the armature 1 toward'tlie leit against its stop ll. Armature 1 is provided at its lower end with a contact point" l2, preierably silver, adapted to arrest motion of the armature toward the right by striking the contact point" It, carried by the member 2 and insulated thereirom as indicated. I3 is electrically connected with the series or current winding l4 surrounding a portion or the core 3 and having part of its turns below the pole piece 4 and part of its turns between the upper side 0! the pole piece 4 and the lower side of the pole piece 5, as will hereinafter be more fully pointed out. The upper end of winding I4 is connected as by wire I! with. one terminal of the storage battery It, which has its other terminal connected with one brush or the generator II as by wire II. The opposite brush 0! the generator is connected with the member 2 as by wire ll. 2| represents the load which may consist of lamps or other devices which may be connected across the battery, as indicated.

The lower portion of core 3 is surrounded by the shunt or voltage coil 2| having one end connected with member 2, and thus with one brush oi the generator, and the opposite end connected with the opposite brush as by wire 22 which may have the resistor 23 inserted therein, ii desired, as will be later pointed out. The pole piece 4 carries the armature 24 as by means of the flexible strip 2!. and armature 24 is provided with a relativelylight spring or reed 28 having at its lower end the contact "point" 21.

The L-shaped member 22 is attached to the armature 24 as by screw 23; and the leaf spring 42, by engaging the horizontal leg of the member 22. tends to draw the lower end of the armature 24 toward the right and hold 21 in contact with the point" 3!, adjustable as by screw 2| and electrically connected as by wire 32 with one end of the generator shunt coil 33 which has its opposite end connected with the wire II. The wire 32 is connected with the wire I! through a resistor 24, which is obviously "shunted out when contact is made at 21-40, and which is in series with the held coil 33 when contact between 21--3l is broken. The member 35, of iron or other magnetic material, has the lower ends of its legs held in close proximity to or in contact with the foot 0! member 2 as by the flexible strip 33. while the upper end or is separated irbm the pole piece 3 by an air gap as indicated at 31. And, therefore, 33 is really an armature ior pole pieces 2 and 3 in shunt with the armature 1. Member 23 is cut away. as indicated at "-33, so as to allow the lost spring 40 to pass through the opening without touching the member II when the same is held in contact with its stops 4|. as by means of spring 42 which may be adjusted as by bending member 43. 43 is a stop of non-magnetic material limiting movement 0! armature 33 toward pole piece 3, and 44 is a similar stop limiting the movement of armature 24 toward pole piece 2.

An operation 0! my invention is substantially as follows:

It the generator '1 be at rest, the parts of the structure of Figs. I and II will be in the positions shown in the drawing with the generator circuit broken at "points" l2-l3, and the load 23 may be supplied by the battery It.

If the generator now be started and its speed gradually increased, and assuming that the left brush be positive, current will flow through shunt coil 33, wire 32, screw 3|, contact 30-21 reed 26, pole piece 4, core 3, member 2 and wire 19, back to the generator, a portion also flowing through the resistor 34, in an obvious manner.

Current will also flow from the generator through wire 22 and resistor 23 and coil 2! to member 2, and thence back to the generator through wire 19. This current will set up a magnetic flux in core 3 in the direction of the arrow thereupon, part of which will close the gap from member 2 to armature 1 and flow to pole piece 5 and thence into core 3. Part of this flux thus set up in core 3 will cross the gap from member 2 to armature 24 and pass through 24 and pole piece 4 to the core 3; and thus the lower ends of armatures 1 and 24 will both tend to move toward member 2. Part of this flux will also flow from member 2 to member 35 and thence from the upper end of 35 across the air gap 31 to the pole piece 5, and this will tend to draw the upper end of the member 35 (which is really an armature) toward pole piece 5.

I now hold the contact at 21--30 closed so as to insure full field current to the generator; and, when the generator voltage reaches the point that it is substantially equal to the normal battery voltage, I so adjust the spring 8 (as by bending the member Hi) and the air gap between 1 and 2 (as by bending the stop II) that the armature 1 will be drawn toward the member 2 and close the contact at l2--l3, and thus connect the generator with the battery through the winding i4. I then increase the speed of the generator until the maximum current desired to have the generator deliver is flowing in winding i4 and then adjust the spring 42 (as by bending the stop 43) and the air gap 31 (as by bending the stops 4|) that at this point the current in winding 14 will cause the upper end of armature 33 to approach the pole piece 5 and bring the portion 33 of the armature 35 into contact with spring 40, whereupon any further increase in current will materially weaken the eilect of spring 40 which normally tends to hold the contact at 21-30 closed, and thus hold the desired current from being exceeded.

I then lower the generator speed until its voltage is slightly below that of the battery, whereupon a slight back discharge will flow through winding l4 in a reverse direction and tend to weaken the flux in the core 3 and allow the spring 3 to open the contact between l2--I3 and disconnect the generator from the battery and prevent back discharge therefrom through the generator.

With these adjustments made, I then open the wire I! and release the armature 24 and increase the generator speed, and so adjust the pull of spring 40 upon the armature 24 (as by bending the member 23) and so adjust the air gap between member 2 and armature 24 (as by screw II) that, when the desired maximum open circuit voltage is reached by the generator, coil 2| will cause the armature 24 to approach the pole piece 2 and open the contact at 21-30 which will throw the resistance 34 in series with the generator field. This will cause the voltage to tend to fall below the desired maximum; but, upon a very slight drop, the contact at 21-43 will be re-established and the device will operate as a well-known type of vibrating voltage regulator holding the maximum desired voltage constant within very narrow limits throughout speed changes of the generator above that value necessary to generate the required voltage.

I now stop the generator and reconnect wire the device,

I and, if the above adjustments have been properly made, starting the generator again and raising its speed will cause it to be connected with the battery as soon as their voltages are substantially equal; whereupon it willcharge the battery with increasing current as the speed increases until either the maximum desired current or the maximum desired voltage has been reached, depending upon the condition of charge of the battery, amount of load, etc. When either of these maximum values has been reached, it will be limited throughout speed changes substantially independently of the other for the reason that the current regulating elements do -not materially interfere with the voltage regulating elements, except as desired, for the following reason:

Assuming the entire winding I4 be eliminated, it is obvious that with no other alteration in the system we have a plain vibrating voltage regulator of well-known general type capable of holding the voltage constant very accurately. If then we replace the portion of winding between the pole pieces 4 and 5 only, and wind it so as to assist coil 2I in setting up a flux in core 3 when the generator is delivering current, it will tend to increase the flux through armature I tending to hold the switch closed, and also increase the fiux through armature. tending to move the same, but, being on the opposite side of mem ber 4 with respect to winding 3, will decrease the effective flux through armature 24 tending to open the contact at 21-30 and thus raise the adjustment of the voltage regulation as the load increases. This being the case, this effect upon the voltage regulation can be decreased as much as desired by adding a proper number of turns to winding I4 between the polepieces 2 and 4; and, when the proper number of turns in both positions is selected, there may be practically no interference, if desired, notwithstanding all series turns add some of their efiects to hold the switch closed and to produce current regulation and, when traversed by reverse current, add some of their effects to cause the switch to open. However, I usually prefer so to wind the winding I4 and arrange the other parts that, when winding I4 is carrying the maximum current desired to have the generator deliver, it will limit this value by moving armature and so affecting spring .40 that the contacts 21-30 will be vibrated in such manner as to-prevent this current value from being materially exceeded and, also, when the current in winding I4 is slightly below the value which causes the armature 35 to affect spring 40, winding I4 will slightly raise the voltage necessary across coil 2I above that at which coil 2I will be able to hold across the generator when no current is owing in winding I4. Therefore, with this adjustment of as the load increases toward the maximum the voltage will be slightly increased in a desirable manner until the maximum is such as nickel steel, may be used as a magnetic shunt, as indicated in dotted lines at 4'.

reached; and, when the battery voltage increases to the value indicating a full charge and the charging current begins to fall, the voltage regulation will have its standard lowered and the charge will be terminated in a desired manner.

If desired .to compensate for temperature changes in coil 2I, it may be wound with a relatively coarse'wire and have a resistor with zero or negativetemperature coefiicient in series, as shown at 23, as is now well known in the art,- or a strip of material the magnetic permeability d! which varies inversely with its temperature,

I often find it advantageous to so proportion the cross section of, at least, a part of armature I that this will become saturated as the desired maximum current in winding I4 is reached, so that further increase in fiux through I and pole piece 5 will tend to fiow in greater proportion through armature 35 to effect current regulation, and this may be readily brought about as shown in Fig. III.

Conversely, I may reduce the reluctance of armature 25 by forming the slot therein as shown at 54 in Fig. IV and by closing part of the lower opening as indicated in dotted lines in the said figure, this opening being shown as large in Fig. II so as to expose some of the parts which would otherwise be hidden behind the armature.

In that modification shown in Fig. V, the opening in armature 85, between 38 and 39, is so arranged that the armature will not touch the spring 40 during any movement, and the-armature 35 is provided with a reed 4I, insulated therefrom as indicated, which carries the contact "point" 48 normally held in contact with the "point" 49, carried by the member 50, which may be held in place by screw 6, but insulated from the rest of the structure, as indicated.

Therefore, if the structure of Fig. I be modifled, as shown in Fig. V, and wire 32 connected with either wire 5| or 52 of Fig. V instead of with 3| as in Fig. I, and the remaining one of said wires 5I or 52 connected with screw 3| in the manner 32 is shown connected in Fig. I, the two sets-of contact points will be placed in series and control the generator to limit the current and voltage to bring about substantially the same effects as pointed out above, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, in view of the fore- From the foregoing it will be plain that I have produced a combined automatic switch and regulator capable of connecting and disconnecting a generator and battery in the usual manner, and providing current and voltage regulation which may be substantially independent or interdependent in a direction and to a degree desired complicated and expensive systems have been employed.

It will, of course, be obvious that, in systems where large currents are employed, a small device as here indicated may be used by having the switch portion act as a relay for any suitable type of contactor and by having the vibrating contacts control any suitable kind of electrically controlled resistance device in the field of the generator, and that the structure here shown may control they field of an exciter which, in turn, may control the main dynamo,which arrangements are now all commonly used and well known in the art.

Further, it willbe obvious that where current output would, if carried entirely by the winding I4, require an inconveniently heavy conductor,

part of the current may be carried by a shunt in the usual manner employed in such cases.

I do not here limit myself to any of the exact V constructions shown nor to any of the particular modes of operation herein described, which have been set forth merely to illustrate one embodiment of my invention, which is as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a combined automatic switch and regulator of the vibrating contact type, a voltage coil for closing the switch, means operated by said coil for vibrating the regulator contact, a current coil magnetically cooperating with the voltage coil to affect the switch, and movable means whereby the current coil by movement of said movable means mechanically affects the operation of the contact.

2. A combined automatic switch and regulator comprising a magnet core provided with pole pieces at its ends and an intermediate pole piece, a switch operating armature carrying flux between the end pole pieces, a current regulating armature carrying flux between the end pole pieces, and a voltage regulating armature carrying flux between the intermediate pole piece and an end pole piece.

3. A combined automatic switch and regulator comprising a magnet core provided with pole pieces at its ends and an intermediate pole piece, a switch operating armature carrying flux between the end pole pieces, a, current regulating armature carrying flux between the end pole pieces, a voltage regulating armature carrying flux between the intermediate pole piece and an end pole piece, a current winding between an end pole piece and the intermediate pole piece, and a voltage winding between another end pole piece and the intermediate pole piece.

4. A combined automatic switch and regulator comprising a magnet core provided with pole pieces at its ends and an intermediate pole piece, a switch operating armature carrying flux between the end pole pieces, a, current regulating armature carrying flux between the end pole pieces, a voltage regulating armature carrying flux between the intermediate pole piece and an and pole piece. a current winding between an end pole piece and the intermediate pole piece, a current winding, and a voltage winding between another end pole piece and the intermediate pole piece.

5. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator comprehending a switch, generator regulating means, magnetic circuits through which magnetic flux may operate the switch and the regulating means, a voltage coil setting up flux for closing the switch and operating the regulating means, current windings setting up flux tending to affect the regulating means and assisting in holding the switch closed when tr'aversed by current in a given direction and causing the switch to open when traversed in the opposite direction, said voltage coil and current windings being so. proportioned and arranged with respect to the magnetic circuits as to coact to hold the generator voltage substantially constant in spite of speed changes above a certain limit unless the current tend to increase above a predetermined limit, and means whereby in this event the current windings abruptly affect the regulator to prevent this limit from being materially exceeded.

6. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator including switch mechanism, generator regulating means, a voltage coil, a current winding, means whereby said coil and winding coact to operate the switch mechanism, means whereby said coil and winding coact to affect the regulating means to produce voltage regulation, and means whereby said coil and winding coact to affect the regulating means to produce current regulation.

'7. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator including switch mechanism, generator regulating means, a voltage coil, a current winding, means whereby said coil and winding coact to operate the switch mechanism, means whereby said coil and winding coact to affect the regulating means to produce substantially independent voltage regulation, and means whereby said coil and winding coact to affect the regulating means to produce substantially independent current regulation.

8. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator including switch mechanism, generator regulating means, a voltage coil, a current winding, means whereby said coil and winding coact to operate the switch mechanism, means whereby said coil and winding coact to affect the regulating means to hold the generator voltage substantially constant, and means whereby said coil and winding coact to affect the regulating means to hold the generator current substantially constant.

9. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator including'switch mechanism, generator regulating means, a voltage coil, a current winding, means whereby said coil and winding coact to operate the switch mechanism, means whereby said coil and winding coact to operate the regulating means to regulate the generator to hold its voltage from exceeding a predetermined limit substantially independently oi. current delivered by the generator while said current remains below a certain value, and means whereby said coil and said winding affect the regulating means to prevent this value from being exceeded substantially independently of voltage changes so long as the voltage remains below the said predetermined limit.

10. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator including regulating means, a voltage coil, means whereby said coil may alone close the switch and operate the regulating means to hold a generator voltage substantially constant throughout speed changes, current windings coacting with the voltage coil to operate the switch and to maintain the voltage regulation substantially as when the voltage coil alone is operative until a given current value is reached, and means whereby said current windings prevent this value from being materially exceeded.

11. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator for use in a system employing a variable speed generator and a battery to be charged thereby, including switch mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the generator and battery, means for regulating the generator, a voltage responsive coil for closing the switch mechanism and for operating the regulating means to control the generator voltage as against speed changes of the generator, a current coil coacting with the voltage coil in the operation of the switch mechanism, means whereby said current coil affects the regulating means to prevent the generator current from materially exceeding a predetermined limit, and means for preventing current in said coil from materially afiecting the regulation performed by the voltage coll until the current value reaches said limit.

12. A combined automatic switch and generator regulator for use in a system employing a variable speed generator and a battery to be charged thereby, including switch mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the generator and battery, means for regulating the generator, a voltage responsive coil for closing the switch mechanism and for operating the regulating means to control the generator voltage as against speed changes of the generator, a current coil coacting with the voltage coil in the operation of the switch mechanism, means whereby said current coil aflects the regulating means to prevent the generator current from materially exceeding a predetermined limit, and means for controlling the standard or voltage held by the voltage coil throughout changes in current below said limit. 13. In a combined automatic electric switch and generator regulator of the type wherein the switch is adapted to connect a generator with a storage battery to allow charging thereof and to disconnect the generator from the battery to prevent back discharge through the generator and wherein the regulator controls the generator for substantially independent voltage and current regulation throughout speed changes 01 the generator; switch mechanism, generator regulating mechanism, a current coil, a voltage coil. means whereby said coils coact to operate the switch mechanism and also coact to operate the regulating mechanism.

14. In a combined automatic electric switch and generator regulator 01' the type wherein the switch is adapted to connect a generator with a storage battery to allow charging thereof and to disconnect the generator from the battery to prevent back discharge through the generator and wherein the regulator controls the generator for substantially independent voltage and current regulation throughout speed changes or the generator; switch mechanism, generator regulating mechanism, a current coil. a voltage coil, means whereby said coils coact to operate the switch driven at variable mechanism. and means whereby said coils also coact to operate the regulating mechanism.

15. The combination with a variable speed gen-. erator and a storage battery to be charged thereby, of switch mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the generator and battery, regulating mechanism for controlling the generator, a coil responsive to generator voltage for controlling the regulating mechanism, a current responsive coil coacting with the voltage coil in affecting the switch mechanism and tending to aflect voltage regulation produced by the voltage coil, means controlling the eflect of current in said current coil upon said voltage regulation, while said current is below a certain value, and means operated in response to current in said current coil acting when said certain value is reached to aiiect the regulating mechanism to usurp the regulation and prevent said current value irom being materially exceeded.

16. In a system or the type having a generator speed and a storage battery charged thereby, a combined automatic switch and generator regulator including switch mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the generator and battery, regulating means for controlling the generator throughout speed changes, a voltage responsive coil aflected by the generator voltage, a current responsive winding aflected by generator current, means whereby said coil and said winding coact to operate the switch mechanism, means whereby said coil and said winding coact to operate the regulating means to hold the generator voltage substantially constant in spite of speed changes so long as the voltage value thus held causes the generator current to remain below a certain value, and means whereby said coil and winding coact when the said current value is reached to operate the regulating means to prevent this value from being materially exceeded throughout changes in speed or the generator.

' JOHN L. CREVELING. 

